The Pittsburgh Pirates have added a veteran hitter for the stretch run. They acquired first baseman Derrek Lee from the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night for minor league first baseman Aaron Baker.

Pittsburgh also will receive cash in the deal to help pay the remainder of Lee's $7.25 million salary.

"He is an experienced, productive right-handed hitter and solid defender who should add to our team on the field and in the clubhouse," Pirates general manager Neal Huntington said in a statement.

Lee, 35 and a free agent after the season, will replace Lyle Overbay as the Bucs' first baseman. The Pirates' website reported the club may release Overbay.

Pittsburgh's offense is among the worst in baseball. Lee had 12 home runs and 41 RBIs in 85 games for Baltimore.

"They turned it around so good for them," Lee said of the Pirates, according to the Orioles' website. "I’m still playing baseball, so that’s always a good thing."

Lee was 0-for-4 Saturday afternoon in what became his final game for the Orioles. The O's removed him in the eighth inning of Game 1 of their doubleheader with the New York Yankees and he was out of the lineup for Game 2.

"I knew coming into the year there was a pretty good chance I wasn’t going to finish it here. So, I understood all of it," Lee said, according to the Orioles' website. “I enjoyed it. I enjoyed these guys. ...

"We didn’t play as well as we wanted to, I didn’t play as well as I wanted to. But I enjoyed my time here.”

Pittsburgh is third in the National League Central, 3 1/2 games behind the first-place Milwaukee Brewers. The Pirates have lost the first two games of their series with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Baker, 23, was playing for high-Class A Bradenton in the Florida State League. He displayed good power, with 15 home runs and 72 RBIs in 102 games, while batting .282/.353/.474.